I’ve added about 10 more lists to the Best Actors meta-list, which hasn’t been updated in about 10 years. It was due. In making this meta-list, I have been conscious that the lists probably have biases. Some are biased toward the past, others toward the present. Some are biased toward male actors. Many are biased toward Hollywood and/or English-speaking actors. Still, even with these biases, the meta-list includes old and new, male and female, and Hollywood and non-Hollywood. Although the majority of the actors on the meta-list are Americans, with a strong showing by actors from other English-speaking countries, the list also includes actors from several countries in Europe (particularly France and Sweden) and Asia (especially India and Japan).
One change from the earlier version of the meta-list is that I added many more television credits to the selected “filmography” for each actor. (Filmography is therefore not a completely accurate term, since some of the credits are not films, and – truth be told – many movies are not even made on film anymore.)
Another change is that I’ve eliminated the term “actress” and now refer to film and television performers of all genders as “actors.”
Here is the link to the meta-list:
For those who can’t wait for the results, here are the top male and female actors on the meta-list:
Male
1. Marlon Brando
2. Robert De Niro
3. Jack Nicholson
4. Humphrey Bogart (tie)
4. Al Pacino (tie)
4. Daniel Day-Lewis (tie)
5. James Stewart
6. Cary Grant
7. Charlie Chaplin (tie)
7. Tom Hanks (tie)
8. Henry Fonda (tie)
8. Dustin Hoffman (tie)
8. Denzel Washington (tie)
9. John Wayne (tie)
9. Paul Newman (tie)
9. Johnny Depp (tie)
Female
1. Meryl Streep
2. Katherine Hepburn
3. Bette Davis
4. Ingrid Bergman
5. Judy Garland (tie)
5. Audrey Hepburn (tie)
6. Barbara Stanwyck (tie)
6. Cate Blanchett (tie)
6. Kate Winslet (tie)
7. Greta Garbo (tie)
7. Jodie Foster (tie)
7. Nicole Kidman (tie)
8. Joan Crawford (tie)
8. Vivien Leigh (tie)
8. Marilyn Monroe (tie)
8. Natalie Portman (tie)